Tag: EMBA Students

When talking with others, we sometimes say, “Now don’t tell anyone I said ….” Such statements are a request for non-attribution. The request is just for the case at hand and incorporated easily into the conversation. On the other hand, group settings, such as MBA classrooms, pose a different problem. Can you imagine an MBA classmate during a class discussion prefacing a comment with, “Now, don’t say I said this but my company …?” That situation is unlikely because when a student with valuable real world experiences to share is concerned about attribution, he or she is usually unwilling to participate in an open discussion. Unfortunately, the result is a missed learning opportunity for the class. One way of addressing the concerns of students regarding attribution is for the MBA class or the MBA program to adopt a non-attribution policy.

A recent MyeEMBA article addressed the issue of Wikipedia being an appropriate resource for MBA students. The article generated a lot of discussion. The consensus appears to be that MBA students can use Wikipedia as a starting point; however, MBA students should not use Wikipedia as the authoritative source. Two recent online articles provide new information regarding Wikipedia practices, which reinforces the conclusion that MBA students should not use Wikipedia as an authoritative source. The articles call into question the quality and objectivity of Wikipedia’s content and provide insight into Wikipedia’s editorial process and the way in which Wikipedia editors manage content changes.

A Chronicle of Higher Education newsletter, Wired Campus (January 17, 2012) used the following question as a section title, “Are Your Students Prepared to Be the “Knowledge Workers” of Tomorrow?” This started me thinking about MBA students as “Knowledge Workers,” which in turn caused me to ask the following questions:

Are MBA students prepared to be the “Knowledge Workers” of tomorrow?
Are MBA students preparing themselves to be the “Knowledge Workers” of tomorrow?
Do MBA students have the “Mind Set” to be the “Knowledge Workers” of tomorrow?
Do MBA students even have the “Mind Set” to be “Knowledge Workers?”

I first learned of “Knowledge Workers” while reading Peter Drucker’s book, The Effective Executive (HarperBusiness, 1966). I since discovered that “Knowledge Work” and “Knowledge Workers” are concepts that permeate many of Drucker’s writings. Quoting from Drucker’s Post-Capitalist Society (HarperBusiness, 1993: p 85):